Boshin War

The Boshin War (1864-1876) was a civil war in Japan fought between the clans loyal to the Tokugawa Shogunate and the clans that sought to restore the emperor to power. The conflict was marked by modern armies on both sides that were assisted by foreign advisors and soldiers, and Gatling and Chassepot machine-guns, rifles, steam warships, Parrot Rifle cannons, multiple-shot pistols, and other European technologies that were imported to both sides. In 1869, the Ezo Republic was conquered by the Imperial forces after the last Shogunate troops fled to Ezo (Hokkaido), and the Shogunate was crushed. By 1876, all of the country was unified by the Imperial factions, although a year later, a Satsuma Rebellion began, returning the country to war.

Background
In 1603, the Tokugawa Shogunate was declared after Ieyasu Tokugawa's Eastern Army defeated an alliance of clans that were loyal to the young son of the late unifier of Japan, Hideyoshi Hashiba, at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. The Tokugawa clan ruled Japan for over 250 more years, although they were not the true rulers. They held the titles of "Shogun", the military ruler (effectively a Prime Minister or even a "dictator") of all Japan. The true ruler was the Emperor, whose power was taken away since the foundation of the first shogunate in 1192. For 250 years, Japan was at peace under the shogunate, and the islands of Japan lived in isolation from the West for much of that time. The Shoguns ruled peacefully, and the people were happy living in their caste systems across the islands.

However, in 1853, Japanese history changed forever. A fleet of US Navy ships under Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Japan and forced the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi to open Japan up to trade with the rest of the world. In the Treaty of Peace and Amity, the United States and Tokugawa Shogunate agreed to trade with each other. American, British, and French soldiers and merchants arrived in the country and introduced new goods to Japan. The foreigners gave the Japanese weapons such as Gatling Guns, rifles, and types of modern warships, but the Japanese people grew mad at their shogun for modernizing the country and betraying them. The Emperor ordered an "Order to Expel the Barbarians", and in 1863 these orders led to the murders of many Western officials and soldiers. In response, the United States destroyed a Choshu Domain fleet in the Battle of Shimonoseki Straits and assisted a British and French bombardment of the Satsuma Domain port of Kagoshima. The bombardment of Kagoshima left the port in flames and destroyed the town, and the division between the Emperor and Shogun reached a point of no return.

To strengthen his position, the Emperor made peace with the British. The emperor called for loyal clans to fight against the shogunate and restore the emperors to power, and the Shogunate ordered his supporters to resist the Emperor's rebellion. Both sides courted support from foreign powers, receiving foreign technology and military aid in their wars with their opposing factions.

Kyushu Campaign
Although Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu had little support on the southern island of Kyushu, the pro-Imperial Satsuma Domain would rise to become the vanguard of the Imperial forces. Led by Shimazu Hisamitsu, the Satsuma Domain had assistance from the United Kingdom, whose advisor Seth Patrick helped to train the Satsuma troops. The main Satsuma commander was Saigo Takamori, a brilliant general who commanded a modern army of levy infantry with some line infnatry assistance. In the winter of early 1864, Takamori embarked on his first campaign, against the Nobeoka Domain of Naito Munefusa. The Nobeoka were loyal to the Shogun, and bordered the Satsuma Domain to the northeast. Naito Munefusa had two armies, both larger than the Satsuma armies. It seemed that the Satsuma would fail in their war with the Nobeoka, as their bombardment of Hyuga by Otomo Mochiaki's Kaiten-class wooden corvette and Chiyodagata-class gunboat failed to force the Nobeoka to surrender, and Saigo's 8,800-strong Satsuma army suffered from winter attrition as they invaded Hyuga Province.

However, the odyssey of the Satsuma army ended when Saigo Takamori and his army engaged an army of 8,850 Nobeoka troops under Naito Munefusa in the winter snows of southern Hyuga. The Nobeoka wanted to strike at the Satsuma as their army encamped in freezing weather, but they unwisely concentrated their whole army on the Satsuma left flank, allowing the Satsuma right flank to wheel left and fire on the Nobeoka forces from two sides. 8,420 Nobeoka troops and 2,760 Satsuma troops were killed or wounded, and Munefusa retreated to the Nobeoka capital of Saito.

When spring arrived, the Satsuma army marched on Saito, where they encircled the Nobeoka capital and Naito Munefusa's 6,040 troops. With 5,410 troops, the Satsuma defeated two Nobeoka breakout attempts with the support of naval gunfire from three ships off the coast. The Satsuma captured the city in their own assault against Naito Yasukiyo, whose father was killed by rifle fire in the second sortie. The fall of the city ended the Nobeoka Domain, and the Satsuma gained control of the vital tea resources that the province held.

Around the same time, the pro-Shogunate Oka Domain of northern Kyushu and southern Honshu took over several provinces in the area. They defeated Choshu Domain forces and gained control of Suo Province, adding it to their lands of Bungo, Buzen, and Tsukushi in Kyushu and Nagato in Honshu. The Oka Domain forces were the new vanguard of the shogunate in Kyushu, as the Satsuma prepared to battle their way into Honshu. The Oka forces were taken by surprise after a Satsuma buildup, and Saigo Takamori's 12,400 Satsuma troops and Tsuchiya Tsunemi's 3 Satsuma warships attacked into Bungo Province. The city of Funai, the center of Bungo, was defended by 7,500 Oka troops under Kitabatake Tomoie. With the assistance of naval gunfire, the Satsuma forces conquered Funai and annexed the province. The Satsuma Domain became a noted clan, and Emperor Komei made Shimazu Hisamitsu a Junior Councillor. With this power, Hisamitsu was able to appoint a general as Inspector-General of the Satsuma Army, and he rewarded Saigo Takamori with this rank, giving him more power in the domain.